HBO comedy is no 'one-trick pony,' says creator

“It’s not a dirtiness issue, it’s a mess issue,” Dunham explained as she cleaned off desktops in the “Girls'” production offices. “Today I found a bag of dried apricots under a pile of papers. It seems like a good morning to get some of the detritus out.”

“Girls” landed a slot in the comedy series race for the second year in a row, while Dunham is nommed for lead actress and for directing the much talked-about “On All Fours” episode. Adam Driver broke through this year with a supporting comedy actor nod.

“It’s really nice to have the show recognized again to feel like it wasn’t a one-trick pony,” Dunham said.

The Emmy fete itself is a good opportunity for the New York-based “Girls” group to rub elbows on the West Coast.

“It’s a thrilling chance for us to get in a room with people we want to see, people from ‘Nashville,’ ‘Scandal’ and ‘Top of the Lake,’ ” Dunham said. “It would take me years to explain how much I loved ‘Top of the Lake.’ ”

Dunham is knee-deep in work on season three of “Girls,” but she wasn’t about to give up any spoilers. “We guard our show’s secrets as if we’re writing ‘Scandal.’ All I can say is you can expect a whole new level of dysfunction from these people,” she said.

Beyond “Girls,” Dunham is busy putting the finishing touches on her book, “Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s Learned.” She hasn’t yet had the chance to do much work on the book she optioned with “Girls” exec producer Jenni Konner, Betty Halbreich’s “All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go,” as a potential series for HBO.

“We’re in the fantasizing stage right now,” Dunham said. “Between the show and the book and trying to train my dog there’s just been no time.”